2023-04-28 20:18:35
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo
Lieutenant General Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), the commander of the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, said in an interview with the BBC that he is ready to conduct negotiations with the army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, on the condition of a cease-fire.
Lieutenant General Mohamed Daglo (Hemedti) said in an interview with Peter Ling, BBC foreign affairs editor: “There are conditions for negotiations. First, a cease-fire. A cessation of hostilities. After that, we can conduct negotiations.”
“It is our duty to form a viable civilian government in Sudan,” Hemedti added.
The Sudanese army commander, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, agreed two days ago, in principle, to meet with Hamidti, but today, Friday, he told local media that he refuses to sit with the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, describing his forces as “rebellious.”
In response to a BBC question regarding whether the truce might last for a long time to open safe passages, Hemedti said: “We have called for a truce since the first day of the war. We started opening a humanitarian corridor immediately. We opened these passages inside the areas controlled by our forces.” We started with a truce from our side.”
The Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces announced their agreement to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional 72 hours, with US and Saudi mediation.
Hamidti denied to the BBC that his forces were involved in looting and looting, as well as in seizing hospitals, according to accusations from the Sudanese army and eyewitnesses.
Hemedti added, “Our forces are very disciplined and recognized internationally, even by the United Nations, the Americans and the French.”
He continued, “We sacrifice ourselves for the sake of the Sudanese people… and the democratic transition.”
Meanwhile, Al-Burhan told the media that it is not possible for “militias” to talk regarding democracy, referring to the Rapid Support Forces.
In response to a question regarding who fired the first shot in this conflict, Hamidti said: “We did not fire the first shot. All the mediators were present. We agreed to sit at 10 am and sign the final agreement. We were surprised that the country was closed, … and they started firing fire upon us.”
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development in East Africa (IGAD) had put forward an initiative to “facilitate dialogue between all parties to find a radical solution to the Sudanese crisis.”
The initiative proposed hosting direct talks between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. It also plans to send the heads of three African countries to Sudan as soon as possible to conduct reconciliation between the two parties to the conflict there.
Extensive military confrontations broke out in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, and other cities between the Rapid Support Forces, led by Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hamidti, and the Sudanese army, led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who is in charge of the Transitional Sovereign Council that has ruled Sudan since the overthrow of the government of Abdullah Hamdok in October / October 2021.
Tensions have escalated between the two parties recently, and each party has strengthened its military positions in the capital, due to a dispute between them over the timetable for the transition to civilian rule under the framework agreement that was signed late last year, the integration of the Rapid Support Forces into the Sudanese army and the determination of who will lead the military establishment. If the two forces merge.
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